The products marketed by the Romanian manufacturers of medical masks and personal protective equipment are safe, of proper quality, and meet the Covid-19 safety and protection requirements, says the general director of the National Consumer Protection Authority (ANPC) Paul Anghel, who recommends the domestically made medical or surgical masks over the mask-type import products which are in fact just "facial covers for use for in-person interactions".
"The checks performed as part of the specific control actions regarding the observance of the legal provisions for the sale of masks revealed that the domestic producers of medical items and personal protective equipment (CN Romarm SA - Bucharest, Valrom Industrie SRL, Inox SA - Ilfov, Global Treat SRL - Galati, Secor Ppbags SRL - Prahova, Alison Hayes Romania SRL - Ialomita, Techtex SRL - Bihor) have put on the national market safe products that comply with the legislation in force and meet the general safety requirements for products. This doesn't mean that protection equipment by other Romanian producers isn't safe and quality-compliant, but only that they have not yet been verified by ANPC," Anghel told AGERPRES.
According to the head of the consumer protection whatchdog, whereas surgical masks and respiratory protection devices are clearly regulated by Directive 93/42/EEC and Regulation (EU) 2016/425, respectively, and must comply with mandatory requirements in order to be allowed on the market, there are no harmonized regulations in place for those that fall in the category of "facial covers for social use" which should meet certain minimum marking/usage requirements to make sure that the consumers are protected against the risk of purchasing a product that could harm their health and safety or mislead them.
In order to regulate this situation, ANPC put up for national and EC debate a draft Order on the requirements to be fulfilled by the companies that sell on the domestic market "facial covers for social use".
The National Consumer Protection Authority has conducted as early as March 2020 verifications on the compliance with the legal provisions of mask sales and has consequently reported 21 surgical/medical mask-type or protection products on EU's Safety Gate - rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products (RAPEX).